Theresa May to take her crusade against secure communications to Davos

Theresa May to criticise technology companies while at the same time pitching the UK as a centre for AI and machine learning

Prime Minister Theresa May has taken her campaign against secure communications to the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to enlist support among technology giants and the so-called global elite.

May will be speaking in Davos today, where she'll say the UK can become a leading centre in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

According to Bloomberg, she's also expected to put pressure on the tech elite to do more to ensure that their services can't be abused by terrorists and other criminals.

No-one wants to be known as ‘the terrorists' platform' or the first choice app for pedophiles

"No-one wants to be known as ‘the terrorists' platform' or the first choice app for pedophiles... Technology companies still need to go further in stepping up their responsibilities for dealing with harmful and illegal online activity," she is expected to say.

Talking to investors in companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, she will ask them "to consider the social impact of the tech companies they are investing in".

In the past, the government - and Theresa May as home secretary in particular - has slammed technology companies for not doing more to prevent 'hate speech', or to combat child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and various flavours of extremism.

At Davos, she will also try to sell the UK as a pioneer of 'ethical' artificial intelligence and respond to concerns surrounding the technology. May will describe AI as "one of the greatest tests of leadership for our time".

The Prime Minister is also expected to detail the government-backed Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, which is intended to help companies and legal officials keep artificial intelligence and machine learning in check.

In between the ear-bashing over social media and encryption, it is believed that May will find a few words to praise technology companies for "some progress" in developing safe AI, she will also tell companies that they need to use it to battle crime and terrorism.